Re: [microsound] memory and melody

["david forest blodgett" <dforest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

vadim,

interesting thread, this.

if you're looking for a good introduction to cognitive psychology as applied
to music & memory, by all means check out :
---
music & memory : an introduction
bob snyder , mit press 2001
---
snyder is the chair of the sound dept. at the school of the art institute of
chicago [of which i have been a part of]   this text evolved from his intro
level composition classes.   it's intriguing stuff.

curious to know what ye fellow microsounders think of it.

cheers,

david

----- Original Message -----
From: "vadim sprikut" <blohhskj@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "microsound" <microsound@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, November 15, 2002 6:41 pm
Subject: [microsound] memory and melody

>
> hi all.
>
> i was thinking about music and memory. more specifically, why its easier
for most of us to remember melody rather than other elements like timbre,
tone, rhythm (although this one is debatable), etc.
>
> the first thing that comes to mind of course is how we encode information.
for instance, the average number of things (numbers, words, etc) one can
memorize in one string is about seven. anything more than that, and we're in
trouble. my musical language is pretty weak, but i suspect its something to
do with the arrangement of a melodic part. thats why most of the 'memorable'
music has been pop or classically oriented.
>
> but it seems like there should be more to it than that though. not just
how the melody is arranged but the characteristics of the melody as well.
that brings another question to mind: are we predisposed to process melody
over those other elements? kind of like being born with the capacity for
language that is eventually nurtured into complex speech through
interactions with parents (and exposure to language in general). or is this
a totally learned mechanism? for instance, if you were able to raise a child
with no exposure to melody but instead played it abstract compositions (such
as some of the music we discuss here), would it be able to remember elements
of abstraction better than melody?
>
> take a piece of music like vladislav delay's "anima" for instance.
beautiful work, but i have a hard time retaining it's specific structures in
my head. i can remember certain sounds, tones, etc but i wouldnt be able to
reproduce it for anyone unless i actually played it. however, take his luomo
project, and its a different story. i can hum certain parts because ive
managed to retain certain melodic elements.
>
> maybe someone into psychoacoustics can shed some light on this.
>
> v'
>
>
>
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